During Indiana’s Game 3 playoff loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, Pacers swingman Andrew Nembhard ran into foul trouble early, which opened the door for reserve guard Ben Sheppard to see more playing time than he had in previous games.
Sheppard capitalized on the opportunity, contributing in a big way during his extended minutes on the floor.
In the opening half, Sheppard played six minutes and registered a solid plus-6 plus-minus while knocking down a key three-pointer.
Although he struggled in the second half, shooting just 1-of-4 from the field, he still finished the game with a positive plus-3 rating over his 15 minutes and 26 seconds of play.
Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle acknowledged Sheppard’s strong performance and hinted at the possibility of increasing his role moving forward.
“Time to get him involved,” Carlisle said, reflecting on Sheppard’s impact in the first half.
“He did some really good things… He gives us another guy to chase Lillard around a little bit. Look, we need all hands on deck. We need everybody. Guys are gonna have to be able to come in and possibly play short minutes from time to time to help us with matchups, to help us with rebounding, to help us with spacing. You name it.”
Central Notes: Sheppard, Pacers, Bulls, Strus https://t.co/gr10V3w9XX pic.twitter.com/cc8CKI7XSF
— Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors) April 27, 2025
